1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to material handling equipment, and is concerned in particular with the provision of a novel and improved downender for use in a rolling mill to translate cylindrical coils of hot rolled products from vertical to horizontal positions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the typical rolling mill downender, the axis of the coil does not extend across the axis of rotation about which the coil is translated from a vertical to a horizontal position. This increases the offset of the center of gravity of the coil from the axis of rotation, which in turn increases the power required to effect coil translation. In order to satisfy this increased power demand, equipment designers have conventionally resorted to the use of hydraulic linear actuators, which occupy considerable space and require expensive associated components, including hydraulic pumps, piping, and circuitry.
The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved downender in which the coil axis extends across the rotational axis about which the coil is translated, thereby advantageously positioning the coil center of gravity closer to the downender's rotational axis. This in turn reduces power requirements and makes it possible to employ less complicated and less expensive electrically powered drive components.